Vet Tech or Veterinarian?

[FutureVet96]

I keep going back and forth on whether I want to become a veterinarian or veterinary technician. I love/hate both for different reasons. I love veterinarian because I love that I get to have a sick or injured animal, make a plan and be able to fix them. Plus I can live comfortably. I hate how long school is and the debt. I love veterinary technician because I love how hands on they are, schooling is about 2 years but I hate how underpaid they are. At this point, those are the only 2 careers I see myself doing. I have no interest in anything else.

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[DVMDream]

I keep going back and forth on whether I want to become a veterinarian or veterinary technician. I love/hate both for different reasons. I love veterinarian because I love that I get to have a sick or injured animal, make a plan and be able to fix them. Plus I can live comfortably. I hate how long school is and the debt. I love veterinary technician because I love how hands on they are, schooling is about 2 years but I hate how underpaid they are. At this point, those are the only 2 careers I see myself doing. I have no interest in anything else.

Define live comfortably.

In my opinion, vets are also quite underpaid.

 

[LetItSnow]

Yeah. I don't want to keep harping about the vets/money/etc issue (ok, I do), but when I see someone mentioning "living comfortably" as a reason to be a vet ...

... it makes me perk up. On the one hand - yeah, most vets do eventually live pretty comfortable lives, by world standards. They don't live anywhere near as well-off as their MD counterparts, but they don't typically live hand-to-mouth their entire lives; once they make it out of debt they live ok. So yeah, it's technically true.

But it also might suggest that the OP thinks veterinary income is better that it is, and it might signal a lack of understanding about the financial realities of the field.

Not sure. I guess, OP, I'd do some research into the cost of school, figure out what you think your debt would roughly be, google "veterinary debt calculator" and start playing with those numbers and see if that income gives you the lifestyle you want. Everyone's definition of 'comfortable' is different.

 

[FrostySparrow]

Something to also consider is a VTS. Technicians can specialize and have a pay increase comparing those who don't specialize. Specializing does tend to require more schooling and effort, but its worth it in the end to those that I know who've done it! Also varies depending on the state you live in/plan on living in and the speciality. I live fairly "comfortably" as an unlicensed "tech" by myself that is (with a dog and a cat).
Shadowing/volunteering in a vet clinic may help you get a better idea as to which you'd prefer!
I think LIS and DVMDream are both right in their concerns about what you may/May not understand about a vet's lifestyle.. for their time in school, degree level, work, etc. They are definitely underpaid.

 

[FutureVet96]

Define live comfortably.

In my opinion, vets are also quite underpaid.

My idea of comfortable is $3,000-$3,500 a month.

 

[LetItSnow]

My idea of comfortable is $3,000-$3,500 a month.

$36000 - $42000 / yr?????

Do you mean total take-home pay? Or after loans? Or ... ?

I can almost - not quite, because who knows, maybe you are perfectly happy in a small one-bedroom apartment the rest of your life - guarantee you that you will find that to be significantly too little for lifelong 'comfortable' living.

If you mean take-home cash, yeah, that's probably enough to get started for a while. But start thinking family, house in a decent part of town (I'm not talking ritzy, just ... not slum), a car less than 8 years old, a vacation once in a while .... you're going to be hard-pressed to do it on that income.

You should play with some calculators (a couple links below) and really think about it. Try and consider what you want your lifestyle to look like when you're in your 30s and 40s and beyond, not what you're comfortable with now.

Student Debt Center - VIN

Personal Financial Planning Resources

Anyway. Said my piece. G'luck.

 

[DVMDream]

My idea of comfortable is $3,000-$3,500 a month.

Eek, well, you will (likely) make more than that as a vet, but not by much and $3500/month is going to be pushing it for survival if you want all those things that LIS mentioned, unless you have minimal to no student loan debt, then you might be able to survive off $3500 per month. I mean... just rent around this region for a single bedroom apartment is $900-1100 per month. So with zero student loan debt, you could do it, but would be squeaking by. Don't think that a vet salary is going to increase that significantly though, because it doesn't and you have the burden of student loans to pay as well.